Root Canal Therapy

Untreated decay can wreak havoc on your oral health. The longer an oral infection goes untreated, the greater your risk of losing your tooth. Once the infection reaches the pulp of your tooth and damages the blood vessels and nerves, the only way to save your tooth is through root canal treatment. If the tooth has sustained too much damage, it may need to be extracted. At Pleasant Hill Dental, we offer root canal treatment to our patients in Pleasant Hill, California, and neighboring communities. A visit to Dr. Cheng Zhu can determine if your tooth can be saved through root canal therapy.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal therapy is a dental procedure used to treat severely decayed teeth to save them from extraction. Through root canal treatment, Dr. Zhu can put a stop to the infection, repair your tooth and restore its usefulness. Like most dentists, we prefer to save natural teeth whenever possible, as long as they pose no risk to surrounding healthy teeth or your oral health. Root canals are performed under local anesthesia to keep you from pain and discomfort during treatment.

The Root Canal Procedure

Root canals entail removing the infected pulp of your tooth to get rid of the infection. Dr. Zhu will drill a hole in your tooth to gain access to the pulp and remove it. Once the pulp has been removed, Dr. Zhu will cleanse and disinfect your tooth chamber and canals to keep the infection from spreading to nearby healthy teeth. Afterward, we’ll fill your tooth with gutta-percha material to seal it from further decay. Lastly, we’ll cover your tooth with a dental crown to strengthen its weakened structure and protect it from infection in the future. The entire process can be completed in two or three dental visits. 

Importance of Root Canal Treatment

Saving natural teeth helps preserve your smile, tooth functionality, and your oral health. Through endodontic therapy (root canal treatment), your Pleasant Hill dentist has a chance to repair and restore severely decayed teeth that otherwise would need to be extracted. The sooner your tooth is treated, the sooner you can use it again. With proper care, teeth that have undergone root canal therapy can continue to provide you with years of quality use.  

Root canal therapy:

• Eliminates pain by getting rid of the infection in your tooth
• Restores your tooth’s health, strength, and function for the future
• Protects your tooth from future infection
• Keeps the infection from spreading to nearby healthy teeth or other parts of your body
• Saves you the time and expense of extracting your tooth and having it replaced with a prosthetic in the future

Working with an experienced root canal dentist like Dr. Cheng Zhu ensures you get the most from this treatment. 

Root Canal Treatment Near Me

To schedule a consultation for root canal therapy in Pleasant Hill, CA, contact your Pleasant Hill Dental clinic at (925) 693-7077.